These stuffed tomatoes and zucchini with ground meat and rice are perfect for a family lunch. Turkish style dolmas are always juicy and filling. Serve them with a scoop of plain yogurt, side them with a plain pasta too if you like and enjoy to see how everyone is pleased.
You can prepare this dish just with tomatoes, if you are out of tomatoes you can add zucchini, peppers, onions even potatoes. Or you can just use the stuffing itself, many kids prefer just to have the stuffing.
What are the ingredients for stuff tomato with ground meat?
You will not have difficult time finding the ingredients for dolma – stuffed tomatoes. Ground meat should be medium fat, around 15%, if not you can add an extra tablespoon of olive oil. You can use lamb, beef or turkey for the meat. Chop the onions, do not grate, because when grated the onion leaves out too much of its water and turns soggy. However you can use a food processor and work it just for 1-2 pulses. Garlic cloves; always good to have for flavor and health purposes. Spices are listed in the recipe card below, do not worry if you are missing a few of them. Rice must be rinsed well. Make sure there is no more starchy white water left in the rice. If you have time it is a good idea to rest the rice in a bowl of boiled water for abut 15-20 minutes before adding to the rest of the ingredients. Mix and knead to blend before starting to stuff.
This recipe is gluten-free and nut-free, suitable for flexitarian.
How to prepare the tomatoes for stuffing?
Start with preparing the tomato and zucchini. Cut off about half a cm (1/2 inch) slice from the top of the tomato and keep it next to the tomato as you will use it as a cap. Then with a sharp edged teaspoon scoop out the flesh and seeds of the tomatoes. Save these in a small bowl to chop and use later for the sauce. Make sure to poke the bottom of the tomato so that the sauce can enter the tomato while cooking.
Preparation of the zucchini is pretty straight forward. Cut into half if too long. Using a peeler crave a hole in the middle. Do not discard the contents you can make a Mucver with them later on.
How to stuff and cook stuffed tomatoes?
Stuff the tomatoes and the zucchini without pushing the filling down too hard, make them loosely filled, as the rice will expand and will need some space. Then prepare a sauce with the chopped tomato from the scooped tomatoes, olive oil, salt, water and tomato paste. Pour the sauce on each tomato and cover with its own cap, pour the remaining sauce all around the tomatoes and the zucchini. Cook first at high heat and then let simmer for about 40 minutes.
What goes well with stuffed tomatoes?
Some nice sour dough bread to dip in the sauce will be lovely. Or you can cook some fresh pasta such as farfalle as a side. We always have some plain yogurt with Dolma. Enjoy!
Stuffed Tomatoes and Zucchini
Ingredients
Stuffing
- 8 tomatoes medium sized
- 2 zucchini
Filling
- 200 grams ground meat
- 75 grams rice
- 1 onion large
- 2 garlic cloves
- ½ teaspoon dry basil
- ½ teaspoon dry mint flakes
- 1 pinch cumin
- 1 teaspoon allspice
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- ½ teaspoon black pepper to taste
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
Sauce
- 300 millilitres warm water
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- ½ teaspoons salt
- 2 tablespoons red pepper paste
- flesh from scopped tomatoes chopped
Instructions
Preparing tomatoes and zucchini
- Cut off a slice on the stem part of the tomato ½ cm (about ½ inch) and keep it next to the tomato as you will be using this piece as a top later.
- Use a teaspoon with sharp edges and scoop out the seedy parts and the flesh in the tomato. Keep the contents to use later for the sauce.
- Using a toothpick make holes in the bottom of each tomato. This will help the sauce reach the stuffing in the tomatoes while cooking.
- Peel the zucchini if you like – it is not necessary. Cut into half horizontally. Using a peeler scoop out its contents. Save contents for other use.
Filling
- Rinse the rise and make sure the water flowing under the colander is clear and all the starch is gone.
- Chop the onion. Do not grate.
- Chop the garlic.
- Chop the parsley.
- Place all the stuffing ingredients into a bowl and knead until everything is well blended.
Sauce
- Add 300 millilitres (1¼ cup) water mixed with ½ teaspoon of salt, 2 tablespoons of olive oil, a tablespoon of tomato paste and chopped tomato flesh (from the tomatoes you scooped earlier).
Stuffing and cooking
- Stuff the filling into the tomato and the zuccini loosely, do not push too much. The rice will expand and will need some space.
- Place the stuffed tomato and the zuccini side by side with the open parts looking upwards.
- Pour the sauce on the sides and on top of the stuffings.
- Cook with lid covered. At first over high heat and once the sauce comes to boil, reduce the heat and let simmer for about 40 minutes. Check a few rice, if the middle of the rice is no longer hard your dish is ready. Enjoy.